Rigney spends the
first eight chapters establishing a theological basis for understanding the
goodness of God. Only then does he specifically address the topic of
“Christian hedonism” (a phrase he borrows from John Piper) vs. biblical self-denial.
I happen to like theology and stuck with Rigney till then, but I can see how
many people could wish he’d just get to the point.
He talks A LOT about the trinity in this book, which at
first seems off-topic, but I eventually warmed up to the
oft-repeated theme. Rigney describes the giggles of his young son while being
tickled. This tickle fight is high theology – a parable of a glory that
existed before the world did. Fatherly delight is at the heart of reality. (“This
is my beloved Son.”) My one year old will forget it, but in a sense it’s the
most spiritual thing I can do for him. My delight and pleasure in him can leave
a mark on him that will outlive the sun.
Because the Father loves to give good gifts to His children,
we are free to enjoy and relish His goodness. Pleasures become sinful when we
go beyond delighting in them to putting our hope in them. In this way even good
things like family, sex, vocation, etc. can become idols. Christians are
world-affirming at the same time as they are world denying. They know that
their ultimate hope is in Christ, but that does not keep them from savoring His
goodness in this life. Christians celebrate creation because it was made by
God, but they treat it lightly because it’s NOT God.
A very thought-provoking book.
P.S. While Piper defends his use of the term "Christian hedonism" here, I still struggle with its negative and self-centered connotations.Blessings,
1 comment:
I remember loving this book when I read it, and it has left me with the impression that our loving God delights in giving good things to His children -- that our delight in them should be turned back into worship of God. Sadly, to often, we worship the gifts.
Thanks for this review.
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